Blog
Chinese New Year 2019
- 30 January 2019
We are all excited about the upcoming celebrations for Chinese New Year. This is the longest and most anticipated celebration in the Chinese calendar and preparations are well underway here and all over China!
In China shops close and family race home to celebrate together. It is a time for clean, fresh starts. People get hair cuts and new clothes and clean their houses. New Year’s Eve brings fortune to children, as older family members give them special red envelopes containing money. A huge feast is served as family and friends sit together and eat favourite foods.
On New Years Day the cleaning stops, as good fortune does not want to be swept away! It is good to eat rice today as it is said to ward off stomach aches in the coming year.
Chinese New Year or ‘Spring Festival’ lasts for two weeks including New Year’s Eve; 4thFebruary and New Year’s day; 5thFebruary. This date is determined by the lunar calendar and will be different every year. The end of Spring festival is marked by a beautiful lantern festival and the streets are filled with jubilation and positive thoughts for the coming year.
Here in Birmingham celebration preparation is well underway. There will be a huge party atmosphere filling the streets of China Town on Sunday 10thFebruary, as local traditional performers put on a full programme of entertainment, including vibrant Chinese music, artists performing back to back cultural dances and of course the traditional dragon and lion dances and firecrackers. There will be Chinese street food from multiple regions and stalls offering face painting, hands on workshops and plenty more. This event is free entry and offers a day full of fun and surprises for adults and children alike. Don’t miss a minute of this spectacular day out; it all kicks off at 11.30am and continues until 4pm.
If you would like to get your family and friends together to celebrate with a huge feast of your own, why not join the party and try one of Chung Ying group’s fantastic Chinese New Year menus;
https://www.chungying.co.uk/menus/chung-ying-central-menu
https://www.chungying.co.uk/menus/chung-ying-cantonese-menu
This year we move into the year of the Pig 2019, 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971, 1959, 1947.
Some believe people born under the sign of the pig are happy, honest, sincere and brave, but also stubborn, naïve and sometimes a little lazy!!!
Some famous pigs include Hilary Clinton, Elton John, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Julie Andrews, Mark Wahlberg, Simon Cowell, Stephen King, Emma Thompson and Snoop Dog!